the water cycle as a system

Question 1

what is the largest store of water

Answer 1

oceans

Question 2

what is the largest flow of water

Answer 2

evaporation

Question 3

what is worrying about the amount of water stored in polar ice and glaciers?

Answer 3

the UV rays, will no longer be reflected by the white ice sheet, it will instead, be absorbed by the dark blue sea and it will be emitted as infrared radiation, thus heating the global climate

Question 4

what is the link between residence time (e.g. 10 years) and the size of the store

Answer 4

the link is that the larger the store, the longer the residence time, due to more water accumulating

Question 5

what are aquifers

Answer 5

a rock that stores water

Question 6

what is an ice sheet

Answer 6

a large expansive ice store that is on land

Question 7

list the the flows of water

Answer 7

• evapotranspiration
• precipitation
• ablation
• infiltration
• run off
• ground water flow
• condensation
• precipitation
• transpiration
• percolation

Question 8

what is ablation

Answer 8

Ablation is the loss of water stored as ice or snow through melting, runoff, evaporation, sublimation, calving of icebergs or the removal of loose snow by wind.

Question 9

what are cumuliform clouds

Answer 9

• wide flat base, with vertical development
• formed when air is heated locally, with contact to earths surface

Question 10

what are stratiform clouds

Answer 10

• a layer of cloud develops when an air mass moves horizontally across a cooler surface
• this process, together with mixing and turbulence is called advection

Question 11

what are cirrus clouds

Answer 11

• consist of tiny ice crystals
• do not produce precipitate

Question 12

what is a drainage basin

Answer 12

A drainage basin is an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries (river system). It includes water found in the water table and surface run-off. There is an imaginary line separating drainage basins called a watershed.

Question 13

explain, how evaporation transfer heat around the planet

Answer 13

the energy, is absorbed as latent heat, and is later released as condensation

Question 14

give 2 ways that rain falling to the ground can reach rivers

Answer 14

• infiltration, by gravity in the soil and lateral movement or throughflow to the stream river channels
• overland flow, across ground surface, either as sheets or trickles, to rivers and stream channels

Question 15

what is saturated overland flow

Answer 15

is it where the soil is fully saturated, meaning that water runs of it meaning that less water is absorbed, thus increasing surface run off, and therefore increasing flood risk

Question 16

how is saturated overland flow different to other types of overland flow

Answer 16

only occurs, when the soil is fully saturated

Question 17

how does the permeability of the rocks affect the catchment hydrology

Answer 17

more permeable rocks, means more water percolates deep underground

Question 18

where and when is meltwater a signficant contributor

Answer 18

in winter